Old Town Conservative Councillor Nick Burns-Howell welcomes the introduction of an experimental Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for Wood Street. The Order comes into effect on 7 August and will be in place for a period of 18 months. The changes look to limit the volume of traffic during the evenings and at weekends when the bars and restaurants on the street are at their busiest. There will be an exemption for emergency vehicles and taxis. In addition, it is proposed that the existing Taxi Rank is moved to the other side of the road to help with safety concerns.
The decision to implement this TRO came after wide ranging discussions on the future traffic flow down the street. While there were some concerns about a full pedestrianisation of the road, businesses and the Council agreed in principle to a pedestrianisation pilot for weekends and evenings at the end of the week. The Council has recently relaxed the rules around pavement licenses for cafes and bars to enable businesses to expand their offering however, there was a lack of demand from Wood Street vendors. Therefore, this alternative TRO will now be introduced with a view to keeping evening visitors safe.
Cllr Nick Burns-Howell said, “Thank you to all residents, businesses and officers who have joined in the discussions about the future of traffic on Wood Street. There were lots of strong views on the full pedestrianisation of the road with concerns about accessibility and deliveries that may have impacted day-time trade. Ultimately, while there was agreement to pilot a time limited pedestrianisation, there wasn’t sufficient demand from local vendors to take up space on the road. My hope was that ‘alfresco street dining’ might help with expanding the number of tables that each establishment could operate, especially during the weekend. However, I’m still keen to revisit this next Summer so will be speaking to businesses about how we could potentially pilot some changes in the future.
“The changes in this alternative TRO will help keep people safe during the busiest times on Wood Street with less vehicles using the road. It is experimental so please do get in touch if you have any feedback or suggestions and we are continuing to work with local businesses to see what other changes we can make as to support them as they look to recover from the unprecedented and challenging times this year.”
Full details of the experimental TRO can be found: www.swindon.gov.uk/trafficregulationorders
Any person wishing to make representations whether to object to or support the Order before it is made permanent must do so by completing the consultation form which can be found atwww.swindon.gov.uk/trafficregulationorders under ‘Experimental traffic regulation orders’ reference (H&T/TRO/Wood Street) by no later than 7 February 2021.
